Suddenly a father
by MistyQueHarper
Summary: An idea that popped in my head after reading/watching Usagi's Drop. A 30 year old Gajeel finds himself a guardian for a little girl. What will a single grown man do when he finds himself with a four year old in his care? Fear not, Levy will be in this story, as well
1. Chapter 1:Meeting you

_**Author's** **note**: The author in me is slowly coming back. Thank God, I've missed this feeling... I've uploaded a video for all of you, my lovely fans and people who take the time to read/review/visit my works. It's on my FB page, www . facebook MistyQuefromDeviantArt (remove the spacing)_

_This is something that came up after watching/reading Usagi's Drop. It's a lovely anime, the manga continues a decade after the anime finishes. This won't be like Usagi's Drop, the ending was a bit weird from my point of view, but I liked the manga, nonetheless. _

_As for my ongoing fics, I'm continuing them. I wanna finish them all for you guys and myself. _

_I hope the new coming year will be better for everyone! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to you all!_

__All in all, thank you for all the patience and love and reviews and reading my fics... And everything! By the way, I'd love to see a review/comment in your native language! (Of course, please consider the writer, as well, since I only know 4 languages: Romanian, English, Spanish and Japanese, so add a translation, as well, if you guys happen to not be a speaker of those 4 languages)__

_Thank you for the infinite patience, my Misty~es! Lots of love from yours truly, MistyQue!_

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1: Meeting you<strong>

It was a day like any other day. He was actually still at work when he got the call. His breath stopped in his lungs, and he was burning on the inside. He wanted to drop his cell phone and run home, but his mother was sobbing heavily in his ear. His throat was suddenly dry. He wanted to say something, anything, but his brain had shut down. A couple of moments after not answering, his mother called out to him.

"Gajeel… Are you still there?" She sniffed heavily and waited patiently.

"Uh… Y… Yeah, I'm here…" Gajeel finally answered, lowering his head and tangling a hand in his long, black spikes.

"The funeral is in two days, so… if you wanna come…" She started crying again. He hated hearing her cry, but there was nothing he could do to cheer her up. His own eyes started stinging painfully, so he shut them and tried to steady his voice.

"I'll be there tomorrow."

"Okay…"

"Mom?"

"Yeah?" She sniffed again.

"Hang in there 'till we get there, 'kay?" He knew she would start crying again, but it was what he felt he needed to say in that moment. After all, her husband, his father, had just passed away. He shut his phone off and let his head fall on his desk. He sat there a couple of minutes, his body shaking heavily. A couple of minutes later, after he finally calmed down, Gajeel went to the bathroom to freshen up and stopped by his boss' office to let him know he'd be taking a couple of days off. No one argued.

So he packed lightly and grabbed the night train to his home town. His insides twisted painfully as regret rolled over him. Regret of not coming home for Christmas, or the New Year's, he would've had another chance to see him on his birthday, but something came up at work and he just couldn't get away. He had so many chances, but he always found reasons not to go. And now he was regretting everything. Sleep didn't come.

His feet shuffled heavily down the pebbled alley as he made his way up his house. There were a couple of cars in the garage, and a crowd was forming at the main door. He passed the neighbors without so much as a 'Hello' and searched for his mother. She wasn't hard to find, since everyone was hovering over her shocked form. She didn't talk to anyone, she merely stared into empty space. Juvia, his older sister, was next to her, crying silently.

Gajeel dropped his backpack in the middle of the room and hurried to his mother, pulling her gently out from her reverie. Once she realized who was in front of her, her eyes welled up and her hands searched his face, then she hugged him tightly. Juvia quickly threw herself in her brother's arms, Gajeel caressing both their head while letting his own pain surface. Soon after Juvia wiggled under Gajeel's protective arms, Natsu, their younger brother, kneeled next to them and wrapped his arms around them, holding tightly. No one dared approach the four, since their pain was far worse. So everyone else let them be.

A couple of minutes later, Gajeel released his girls, Natsu taking a seat on the couch next to his mother.

"I'm glad you're here, Gajeel." Juvia finally broke the painful silence, sniffing heavily. Natsu handed her some napkins.

"Me too, but not for this kind of event…" He looked away, wiping his eyes. The rest of the procession was silent, part from the occasional condolences from the neighbors and distant relatives.

A couple of hours later, Gajeel decided to take a breather. So he walked into the back yard, where his father's garden was blooming. A few rose bushes filled the air with their sweet fragrance as the raven haired man strolled along the pebbled alley. He turned a corner and stopped abruptlyonce his eyes met two sad and lost eyes. He couldn't look away from the little girl dressed in black that was tending some purple tulips. A shuffling noise behind him made the child stand up abruptly and run away.

"Who's the kid?" Gajeel asked Natsu after the child looked him in the eye for a long moment and bolted, Gajeel thinking it was after she noticed his many facial piercings.

"Uhhh… Apparently dad had an affair…" The raven haired man snapped his head to his younger brother, staring at him incredulous.

"He WHAT?"Gajeel looked after the little girl with shock.

"Yeah… And that kid's his… We have a baby sister…" Natsu said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Wh… Why didn't he say anything? How long has mom…"

"He came back a couple of months ago and brought her along, saying the kid would be staying with us… He and mom had a huge fight… and his heart… Let's just say mom's blaming herself for everything." Gajeel was lost for words. He couldn't see his old man cheating on his mom after almost 40 years of seemingly happy life. He couldn't remember his folks ever arguing or looking at each other like they weren't the luckiest beings alive for having found each other. He felt jealous most the times, actually. Because he couldn't find someone to be worth _that_ kind of look. "It's a good thing you came, mom wanted to talk to everyone, see who'd take custody of her." Gajeel pondered heavily.

"And her mother?"

"No one knows. Dad never told anyone, apparently."

"Shit… This is the last thing mom needed…"

"Yeah… Problem is… She doesn't seem too willing to take the kid into custody…" Gajeel snapped his eyes to Natsu, who had his hands in his pockets.

"What are you saying?" The raven haired man had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

"I'm not sure. I'd rather not say anything stupid." Gajeel snickered.

"That would be a first." He teased his little brother.

"Har, har." Natsu scowled. "But, really, now, let's just wait and see what happens at the family meeting."

"How old is she?"Gajeel asked suddenly, taking Natsu by surprise.

"Four and a half."

"She's tiny…" The pierced man said in a small voice.

"I'm not sure she can speak, I've never heard her. She's strange for a kid." Natsu said in a judging tone. The funeral car stopped then on the cobbled alley, bringing the two brothers back to reality.

"I guess it's time…" Gajeel turned and headed back to the house, searching for his mother.

The procession was slow, the priest waiting for everyone to gather around the open coffin. A heavy silence followed, the air being filled with the occasional sniffs from grieving relatives. Gajeel saw the little girl in the front row of grievers, his feet carrying him instinctively to her. Once he was next to her, he could fully measure her. Her head didn't pass his hip bone, her long, deep blue hair was falling in her eyes, but she didn't seem to mind it. She was holding a handpicked flower, craning her neck to see the man inside the coffin. At one point, she even stood on her tip toes just when Gajeel peeked at her.

"Do you wanna say good-bye?" Gajeel lowered himself to the child's level, who wasn't sure if she could trust him or not. She merely nodded. Gajeel scooped her up and led her to the open coffin, where his father was sleeping his final sleep. The girl dropped the flower on his soulless body and motion to get off, Gajeel obliging.

"Is he not going to wake up?" She asked in a low voice, looking down. Gajeel's head twitched. _Shit… I'm not good with kids… What should I do…?_

"No, he's not gonna wake up. His soul went to Heaven, so he can't wake up anymore." He tried his best to make his voice a little less rough.

"Oh…" She sniffed heavily a couple of times, not looking away from the ground.

"Hey…"Gajeel placed a finger under her chin, trying to make her look up, but he never expected to see her crying openly or feel like his heart shattered in a million pieces. "You're gonna be alright." He was panicking. He wanted to make her stop crying, but he couldn't find a way. He merely wrapped his arms around her small body and hugged her, escaping a few tears himself. "We're gonna be OK." He whispered in her hair, waiting for her to calm down.

The coffin was closed and lowered in the ground with the father's last words. Soon after, people started filing out, the two remaining people being Gajeel and the small girl. He waited patiently for her to finish her inner good-bye's, breaking the silence.

"Shall we go back?" He offered his large hand, the small girl looking at him with curious eyes. She nodded and placed her small fingers inside Gajeel's hand, letting him lead her back to the car. Thus the day had passed.

Evening came, and the whole family was reunited. Gajeel's mother called everyone in the huge living room, looking very down. Once everyone was seated, she started.

"My late husband's attorney will come by in a couple of days to open the will. Until then…" She gulped, looking at her hands. "We have to find a home for the little girl he brought a few months back."

"Is it true he had an affair?" Gajeel's uncle asked in a bored voice.

"He… never said anything about an affair. Even though I asked him many times… He just said the girl is his and that's that."

"What a pain…" Jose, Gajeel's uncle crossed his arms, looking displeased.

"Glad to see your cheery and kind self never changed, uncle…"Gajeel said with sarcasm.

"Glad to see you home more often than every half a decade." Jose replied. "Why is he even here?" He asked Gajeel's mom in outrage.

"Because I'm part of the family, whether you're an asshole or not."

"You li…" Jose motioned to get up, but Rose, Gajeel's mother, silenced everyone.

"It is really the time and place to continue such arguments?" Everyone looked at her, then back at the table. Gajeel merely glared at Jose. "Now, let's discuss the problem at hand. Who will take custody of the girl?"

"I have a business to take care of, so I don't even know why you bothered to call me for this 'family' meeting." Jose raised himself from the table, leaving the rest in silence, Gajeel glaring menacingly at the back of his head.

"Well, I can't raise a child by myself… I just got a job, they'll fire me if something like this pops up." Juvia said earnestly.

"Natsu's still in college, so I can't possibly…" Rose said thoughtfully, looking at the table.

"What are you guys saying?" Gajeel felt outraged.

"Maybe it'd be best for her if we just gave her to adoption." Natsu said in a neutral voice.

"She's our sister! You can't possibly think something like that!"

"And who'll take care of her, huh?" Natsu challenged.

"Well, mom…"

"Don't push her on me! Do you think I have the time or patience to raise another child?" Her voice suddenly shot up, Gajeel staring incredulous at his mother, who was struggling to hold back her tears.

"I thought we were gonna discuss who's gonna take care of the kid, not agree on giving her to an institution! What the hell is wrong with you, people?" He raised his voice, making the people from the table turn their head away in shame. "Seriously? Everyone thinks the same? I can't believe you! I mean, I know his death was a shock, but to take it out on a kid! That's another level of asshole!"

"Hey!"

"Watch your mouth, boy!" Jose yelled from the door.

"Shove it, uncle! You have no right to tell me what to watch! You know what? You make me sick! Now I remember why I stayed away for so long!" Gajeel's chair screeched on the floor as he pushed himself away from the table and turned on his heels, going out the door and into the garden, where Wendy was playing with some dirt.

"Hey, kid." He practically yelled at her, making the child jump. She turned her head, curiosity written all over her face. "Wanna come over my place for a while?" He could hear the surprised and outraged gasps behind him, even the chairs shifting on the floor, but he didn't care. What really shocked him to the point of tears was the little girl's reaction.

Her face lit up in the most pure form of hope he had ever seen in his life as she sprung to her feet and ran to him, glomping his legs with too much force for a four year old. And when she raised her eyes to search for any traces of doubt on his face, his heart melted. And he knew what he had to do. Gajeel smiled fondly at her, watching her eyes fill and hiding her face in his pants, grabbing a hold on his back pockets.

"Are you out of your mind? You have no idea how hard it is to raise a child!" Gajeel's mother came behind him, wanting to shake him senseless.

"I'm a fast learner."

"You can't be serious." Natsu came behind his mother, arms crossed.

"At least I got the balls to at least try and give her a home, compared to you. Come on, kid, let's go home." Gajeel bent over and placed his arm under her knees, lifting her up. She immediately wrapped her tiny arms around his wide shoulders and hid in his neck.

"Wait!" His mother placed her hand on his arm, stopping him. She looked ashamed at him for a moment, looking away. "Her things…"

"Mom! Are you serious?" Natsu looked shocked at the gray haired woman, letting her pass him in a hurry as Gajeel waited patiently for her to come back. A couple of minutes later, his mother came back, holding a small backpack and a suitcase.

"Her birth certificate and other important documents are here. This is all she has."

"Thanks." Gajeel said roughly, turning away and leaving the family in complete silence. He was furious. He wanted to break some teeth, but the small, warm body clinging to him for dear life told him it was not the place, not time for violence. His priority was to get Wendy home.

**TBC**

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><p><strong><strong><em>How about it? Did you liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please review, your opinion matters to me as a writer.<em>****


	2. Chapter 2: I have no idea what I'm doing

_**Author's note**: WOW! so many reviews right after posting it! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!_

_So, by now, I think everyone knows I'm a mommy. My toddler is 3 and a half now, so I have plenty of funny and cute stories to add to the fic. His innocence and his way of viewing the world around him made me ponder so many times. So I'll add them here. Also, my 5 year old niece is a lot of help lol._

_**ItscalledLove** , *shares some tissues* fear not, I WILL make you tear up again. MWAHAHAHAHAAAA_

_**oxybry** , siempre que tenga la inspiración, espero que lo siga._

_**Shiki V.** , why can{t you write in your mother language? and thank you for the lovely review!_

_**ThreeDarkAngels** , hopefully inspiration won't betray me again_

_**TiPoLover 22** , frankly, I wanna know what happens next, too. I have some random written stuff for this fic, though._

_**IdentityCrisis.03** , how did you find the manga? I loved it, but the ending... let's just say it was too weird for me._

_**karnis32** , sorry to keep you guys waiting!_

_**Lexie** , thank you, hon, it's SO good to be back. hopefully i'll stay :D_

_**Go1dSwiggle** , *for Swiggle* yes, Wendy. the badass friggin' Dragon Slayer (did you read the Tartaros arc? she becomes so effin' badass!) *for Aiden* which one didn't you see coming? *for Jack* FUCKIN' YEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH (bangs head) *for the rest of your personalities, my personalities thank you for taking the time to read/review!_

_**Alice** , *blush* thank you!_

_**Sketcher1994** , awwww, *rubs nose on cheeks* thank you!_

__All in all, thank you for all the patience and love and reviews and reading my fics... And everything! By the way, I'd love to see a review/comment in your native language! (Of course, please consider the writer, as well, since I only know 4 languages: Romanian, English, Spanish and Japanese, so add a translation, as well, if you guys happen to not be a speaker of those 4 languages)__

_Thank you for the infinite patience, my Misty~es! Lots of love from yours truly, MistyQue!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: I have no idea what I'm doing...<strong>

The hour was very late when Gajeel got home with a sleeping Wendy on the back seat of his car. He gently placed his arms under her tiny body, lifting her with ease and placing her on his shoulder. He grabbed her bags next and went inside his house, realizing with shock he didn't have a room readied for her. Gajeel pondered for a moment, then decided to let her sleep with him that night and go shopping in the morning. He rubbed a palm over his face, thinking if he should take a shower or not, since he wasn't sleeping alone in his bed and he drove around six hours that day. A few moments later, Gajeel got up from his chair and headed for the bathroom. After all, a lady was in the house.

So, after a well-deserved (quick) shower, he slipped into clean clothes and went to bed, carefully lying on the bed. Once tiny Wendy felt a body next to her, she turned around and cuddled under his arm, Gajeel looking very flustered at her, not knowing what to do. He moved her a bit so he could sit better and let her sleep on his arm.

Morning came faster for Gajeel's liking, something pushing on him.

"Gaaajeeeeel. Hey, Gaaaajeeeeel. Wake up!" The little girl was pushing his with her small hands, trying to shake him awake. Gajeel grunted and turned over, tumbling Wendy over. When he realized the child was behind him and he knocked her over, he got up suddenly, fumbling on her legs.

"Sorry! Are you OK? Did I hurt you?" He checked her legs, turning them over, Wendy giggling.

"You're tickling me!"

"Sorry…" Gajeel retreated his hands and let Wendy get into a sitting position. "What time is it?" He looked around for his phone, groaning loudly when he noticed the time. "Are you serious? Kid… It's Sunday. We don't have to get up _this_ early. It's 6:30!" The raven haired man slumped back on his pillow, closing his eyes.

"But I'm hungry! And I have to pee!" Wendy placed her small hands between her legs, bouncing on the bed. Gajeel groaned again.

"Okay, okay…" He got up and led the little girl to the bathroom, waiting for her outside. A sharp yelp made him burst through the door. "What?"

"I fell in the toilet…" Wendy's legs were dangling over the toilet seat, trying to get herself out. Gajeel hurried to her, placing his hands gently under her arms and pulling her from the toilet. Once she was out, he burst into laughter, making Wendy pout.

"I guess we should buy you a smaller toilet seat." He giggled, ruffling her hair. "Wash your teeth." He placed himself with his back on her, doing his morning business.

"I don't have a brush." _Crap._

"Then wash your face, to scare the sleep away." Wendy obliged. Gajeel joined her a moment later, washing his face and teeth in a hurry. He then proceeded to the kitchen, Wendy following him like a puppy. "Oh, right, I didn't introduce myself, sorry… I'm…"

"Gaaajeel." Wendy said simply, taking a seat on one of the stools. Gajeel looked stunned at her for a moment, the girl continuing. "I heard Natsu and Juvia call you that."

"It's just 'Gajeel'."

"Gajeel?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Milk and toast."_That's simple enough_.

"I'm making myself an omelet, want some?"

"Yeah! Can I help?" Wendy asked suddenly, taking Gajeel by surprise.

"You can cook?"

"Not really, but daddy let me beat the eggs whenever he made omelet." She jumped off her chair and pushed it next to the counter where Gajeel placed a couple of eggs, a bowl and a fork. He watched Wendy intently as she broke the eggs carefully, let the egg fall in the bowl and place aside the shell, then continued with the next few eggs. Gajeel was impressed. Wendy was sloppy in her beating the eggs, but even so, Gajeel was drinking her up. A few minutes later, she turned to him with a proud smile.

"You take care of the frying part."

"Good job, kid!" Gajeel grabbed the bowl and placed the eggs on the heated pan, letting Wendy go back to the table. A few minutes later, the two were enjoying their food.

"I noticed you don't have… stuff, so I was thinking if you'd like to go shopping with me." Wendy's face lit up.

"Yeah!"

"Do you know what you need? Cuz I'm… new at this whole… taking care of a kid. So I'm gonna need your help."

"Sure!" They finished breakfast and got dressed for shopping.

"I think we should buy a bed… So the furniture store is first."

"You already have a bed." She said innocently as they got inside the car, Gajeel placing the seatbelt over her.

"I do, but _you_ don't."

"I can sleep in your bed. It's big enough." Gajeel snorted. _She's a smart one._

"It is big enough, but don't you want your own room, like the rest of the kids?"

"Not really…"

"We could decorate it with princess stickers and stuff like that."

"I don't like princesses. They always need someone to help them. I can take care of myself."

"Hoo… We'll see about that."

"I don't want decorations, I just… wanna sleep with you…" Wendy said in a small voice, looking away. "There were no more nightmares last night…" Gajeel snapped his eyes to her pouting form, thinking hard. _Well, we can always go buy her a bed of she changes her mind…_

"OK, then." Wendy's face lit up. "Whenever you get tired of sleeping next to me, we can go buy a bed for you. Until then, you can sleep with me. Is that ok with you?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go shopping, then!" He got into the driver's seat and drove to the mall, in search of a shop. Once they got there, Wendy took him by the hand willingly, making Gajeel blush and look around. _Damn, I look like a dad_… He thought embarrassed, but let her hold his hand. They soon found a big enough shop, where they could search for clothes.

"What do you need?" He asked Wendy, who looked around in awe.

"Panties, socks, t-shirt, pajamas, pants, sneakers, tooth brush."

"And skirts."

"No, we're not allowed with skirts at kindergarten." _Fuck, I totally forgot I have to work! What do normal parents do? Day care? Baby sitter? _Gajeel was starting to panic, knowing the next day he would have to work. He grabbed his phone, texted his boss, telling him he would take a day or two off, then continued his shopping day.

"Here we go!" Gajeel noticed the children clothing area, pulling Wendy along. _Wow… Were there always these many kids around the mall?_ He noticed half of the customers were mothers with children. "Choose whatever you like." Wendy smiled widely and ran through the mannequins. She stopped once she found t-shirts, pulling one and looking at it. "What's your size?" Gajeel asked her.

"I dunno…" _Perfect… Now what?_ He noticed a couple of mothers turn their kids around and place the clothes on their backs, taking the size. He lowered himself to Wendy's level, mimicking the other mothers. _God, I feel stupid… I don't even know what I'm doing… Is this the right size? What should I see? _Gajeel felt embarrassed by the whole situation, but continued sizing the clothes Wendy picked. Soon he started to notice the difference between clothes that would fit his sister and smaller ones. An hour later, Gajeel was holding a few bags in one hand, Wendy happily dangling on the other one.

"You need shoes, too." They continued shopping, Gajeel being thankful Wendy wasn't a picker. Whatever she eyed was perfect, so they didn't linger much. "We should go shopping for dinner, too." The raven haired realized he had almost nothing edible for a child. They spent the next few hours grocery shopping.

"Wanna go eat something?" Gajeel asked, feeling his stomach grumble.

"Yeah!"

"What will it be?"

"Food." Gajeel puffed a laughter, offering his hand and leading Wendy at a Chinese restaurant inside the mall.

Lunch passed in a blur, the two heading home very tired after their full day. Wendy fell asleep almost instantly after Gajeel strapped the seat belt on her, the pierced man smiling fondly once he checked her in the mirror. He drove them home, taking the shopping bags inside quickly before tending to the sleeping girl in his car. Once his hands were free, he hurried to Wendy, pulling her gently from the car and taking her to bed. After watching her a few seconds, he decided to take a nap, as well.

**TBC**

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><p><strong><strong><em>How about it? Did you liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please review, your opinion matters to me as a writer.<em>****


	3. Chapter 3: Being a father is hard

_**Author's note**: I hope everybody had a wonderful time during the winter holidays. It was nothing fancy for us, just a quiet Christmas with my family. Baked some cakes, cookies and other cavity forming sweets lol. _

_**Guest (s)** , I hope I'll make you feel, as well mwahahahahaha_

_**gajevyiscanon** , Greek, huh? thank you!_

_**Guest** , he's great in the manga, too, how he takes care of Wendy from time to time. Even though he keeps his tough guy image. As for Wendy and nightmares, kids are very sensible. I'll explain what she was dreaming about in the next chapters._

_**Go1dSwiggle** , hey, y'all! glad you dropped by again! all of you! an OC, huh, never thought about that, but it's a start lol. And Swiggle, no need to apologize! Now all of you GIMME A HUG!_

_**Sketcher1994** , *wraps her arms around twice* tight hug!_

_**Lexie** , yep, VERY awkward. and yep, VERY mommy mwahahahahaaaahaha_

_**oxybry** , thank you! glad you like it!_

_**Silverwolf** **Bombarda** , I laughed so hard picturing you yelling HOLY FUCKING SHIT! and then all sparkles and blushies when you say 'awww, so cute...' _

_**IdentityCrisis.03 **, mmyeah, my toddler fell into the toilet one time. his face was priceless, not knowing what to do, cry or get scared. I laughed so hard, then he started laughing. and it's always nice to see the kids grow up, going their own path._

_**ThreeDarkAngels** , (not just one angel, boom, instant badass!), thank you!_

_**TiPoLover 22** , in a few chapters, no worries._

_**ItscalledLove** , we shall see about the crying part *rubs chin dramatically*_

_**Shiki.V** , lol, well you should continue learning it, you keep your brain for ever young when you learn a new foreign language. Also, Wendy doesn't have stuff, Gajeel's mom gave him everything Wendy had when he left with her._

_All in all, thank you for all the patience and love and reviews and reading my fics... And everything! By the way, I'd love to see a review/comment in your native language! (Of course, please consider the writer, as well, since I only know 4 languages: Romanian, English, Spanish and Japanese, so add a translation, as well, if you guys happen to not be a speaker of those 4 languages)_

_Thank you for the infinite patience, my Misty~es! Lots of love from yours truly, MistyQue!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Being a father is hard<strong>

Gajeel woke up before Wendy, looking confused around his room. He glanced at his phone, deciding to get up after seeing what time it was. _So refreshed after just one hour of sleep? I should take naps more often._ He smiled fondly at the little girl, tiptoeing out of the room a moment later.

He decided to do some laundry, since Wendy didn't have any clean clothes for the next day, so he set the washing machine and placed all her new clothes inside. Once he was done, Gajeel went to the living room, opened his laptop and started seaching for information on how to get a kid into kindergarten. _Damn... This is harder than i thought..._ He rubbed his stubby chin, pondering hard. _So… It takes about 10 working days to review a file… I can't take that much time off from work…_

"God damn it!" He slammed his fist on the coffee table in frustration after about half an hour of searching kindergartens close to home. Gajeel rubbed his temples for a long moment, trying to calm down. Suddenly, he remembered one of his working colleagues was a mother. He lunged for his phone, searching through his phone book with hope. His eyes lit up once Gajeel saw her name. He clicked the name and placed the phone on his ear, waiting.

"Hey, Sally, sorry to bother you… I… kinda have a problem…" Gajeel told her Wendy's story, talking to the woman for more than half an hour.

"So, you say there are temporary nurseries? Uh, huh… I see… Thanks a lot, I owe you one." Gajeel quickly searched the net for temporary nurseries, smiling contently when he found several nurseries close to home. _All I gotta do now is find a permanent one._ He wrote down what he needed, placed the paper away and stretched, a few shy steps making him turn to his left.

"Hey, you! Slept well?" Wendy nodded and hurried to his side. "I got good news. I found a nursery for ya. It's temporary, though."

"What's _temporary_?" Wendy asked confused, cocking her head to a side.

"Temporary is something that's not permanent."

"What's _permanent_?"

"It's… Uh…" Gajeel cracked his head, thinking of a good explanation. "When… you go for a very long time in the same place, like at least till you get old enough for school. And _temporary_ is when you go for a little while. You get it?" Wendy nodded again, hurrying to Gajeel and making herself comfortable on his leg, cuddling on his chest. Gajeel smiled warmly, placing a protective arm around her small frame. "You weren't like this when I first met ya. You hardly talked, and now…" He snorted.

"The rest didn't want to listen what I had to say. They just wanted me to go away." Gajeel saddened a bit, not knowing how to answer.

"They're not so bad… They were going through a tough time, they were hurting just like you."

"They were?"

"Yeah. Dad was loved by many. It's painful when a loved one dies."

"Why do people die?"

"Kid, you ask some difficult questions, you know that?" He smiled at her. "No one really knows why they die, but think about it. If people wouldn't die, we'd be very crowded, now, wouldn't we?"

"I see…" She said on a thoughtful tone.

"Want a snack? We have apples."

"Yeah!" She jumped off him and hurried to the kitchen.

The rest of the day got by pretty quickly, the two going to sleep early.

The next morning, Wendy was shaking Gajeel to wake up, the pierced man opening his eyes groggily and looking around.

"Good morning!" Wendy said brightly, Gajeel merely grunting and turning over his side to try and catch some more Z's. "Wake up, Gajeel!" The girl pouted, pushing him with all her might. "We have to go see the nursery! Come on!" She jumped off the bed and headed for the bathroom while Gajeel pulled himself off the bed and shuffled heavily to the bathroom. Wendy was already brushing her teeth by the time Gajeel got to her.

"You're so slow in the morning!" Wendy complained loudly.

"And you're too energic…" He rubbed a tired palm over his face, waiting for Wendy to get out of the bathroom to do his morning ritual. "Go watch some cartoons or something till I'm done here."

"Okay!" She ran downstairs, Gajeel sighing heavily. A few minutes later, the raven haired man headed for the kitchen for breakfast, Wendy hurrying to his side to help. Half an hour later, they were getting dressed for their trip.

They had to make a few trips back and forth the nursery, since Gajeel never prepared Wendy's documents. Gajeel breathed easily at noon, when everything finally ended and Wendy was accepted into the temporary nursery.

"All I gotta do now is find you a permanent one." He ruffled her hair, Wendy grabbing his large hand and holding onto it. "Let's go home, I'm drained."

Another day went by.

The next morning, a sleepy Gajeel hit the snooze button once the alarm took off, rolling over his other side to sleep five more minutes. No luck. Wendy was already bouncing off him with too much energy, trying to wake him up.

"It's kindergarten day! Let's go!" Gajeel grunted and ripped himself off his tempting bed as Wendy bolted to the bathroom for her morning ritual. As soon as Gajeel got to the bathroom, she was already running to the stairs, heading for the TV to watch some cartoons while Gajeel got ready. Twenty minutes later, he dragged his feet down the stairs, Wendy glancing his way.

"Wow! You look like a gentleman!" The child praised his outfit, Gajeel escaping a slight blush.

"Thanks… This is what I usually wear at work, so it's not a big deal…"

"Are you a detective?" Gajeel snapped his eyes to the innocent girl, gulping guilty for a moment before composing himself.

"…No, I just have to wear a suit at the office. How do you know how a detective looks like, in the first place?"

"TV." Wendy said simply, returning her eyes to her show. Gajeel smiled impressed, heading for the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As soon as Wendy heard him shuffle about in the kitchen, she was next to him, helping out. Another twenty minutes later, they were off.

Gajeel dropped Wendy to the nursery, noticing the hurt look in her eyes just before he left for work.

"Listen…" He bent over, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "I'm gonna be late, but I _will_ come back and we'll go home together. Okay?" Wendy nodded weakly, glomping his leg. "Be good!" Gajeel hurried out the door, almost running to work after noticing how late it was. His boss wasn't upset he was late a couple of minutes, but still, Gajeel felt anxious. He had to talk to the boss, and being late for work wasn't a good start.

The day went by slowly, Gajeel trying to figure out a way to actually talk to his boss, but never finding a simple solution. Just before closing time, he mustered up his courage and knocked on the boss office.

"Yes?" A bored voice answered him.

"Sorry to bother you… Could we talk?"

"What about, Gajeel?"

"Mr. Dreyar, I have a… problem…" He got in and took a seat after the elderly man motioned for him to sit down. He played with his hands for a moment, then told him everything about his father's death and his supposedly affair. After a long moment of silence, Makarov Dreyar cleared his throat.

"I don't wanna lose you, you're a valuable asset to this company. So I can't accept your idea of resigning. But I can move you to a different department, one that doesn't require extra hours. You'll have to manage to the runt of the runts, though." Gajeel's face lighted up.

"I can manage anything! Thank you!"

"I'll get my assistant to fill in the paperwork for your transfer, you'll have to stay put for a couple of days, a week at most. Think the little girl will manage on her own for now?"

"Yeah, she's attending a temporary nursery school for now, I'm trying to find a permanent one."

"Good luck with that. And God speed. Dismissed."

"Thank you, boss. Really. Have a good night."

"You too, Gajeel." The raven haired man hurried out the door, jogging all the way to the nursery. It was already dark by the time Gajeel got there, huffing heavily in the door frame.

"Wendy! Your father's here!" A young lady called for his little girl, Gajeel trying to explain through huffs she was his sister, not his daughter. Wendy's face brightened when she set her eyes on him, running to him with tears in her eyes. Gajeel stared completely lost as she glomped her legs with too much force, his breath calming.

"Missed me?" He asked softly, ruffling her hair. She answered with a nod, holding onto him. "Thank you, have a good night." He said to the caretakers, scooping Wendy up from his legs. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tightly. "Let's go home, kid." Wendy whimpered a small answer, cuddling in his neck. Gajeel couldn't stop the grin from spreading as he strolled calmly back to his house. It was going to be a hard and interesting journey for both of them, but he was starting to like it.

**TBC**

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><p><strong><strong><em>How about it? Did you liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please review, your opinion matters to me as a writer.<em>****


	4. Chapter 4:ThingsAreFinallySettlingDown

_**Author's note:** It's been a long time, I know... Started watching **Free** the anime and it just... caught me... Hot boys, lots of muscles... yumyum... Also, I started reading a really good book, **Change your aura, change your life** (for gifted people and not, for the ones interested in the lighted path or just curious about spiritual stuff). I highly recommend it, I've found plenty of answers to my... abilities. I'm sure anyone who'll read it will have some sort of revelation._

_**ItsCalledLove** , *pushes the box of tissues closer* I didn't see anything... You'll have to read to find out *wink*_

_**ThreeDarkAngels** , I'm glad you love it! I hope I won't disappoint anyone by the time I finish it._

_**Go1dSwiggle** , *bulges eyes in shock* w... wait! *loses breath as everyone tackles me backwards* can't... breathe..._

_**IdentityCrisis.03** , I'm amazed how smart kids are these days. I'm an English teacher now (quit my job as a massage therapist, but I still do it at home), for kinders. And it's amazing. I love it. The kids are really energic and so bright! They outsmart me most times lol_

_**DBZRocks153** , I had them meet up a little differently, I hope you like!_

_**Guest** , glad you like it!_

_**Lexie** , I have more fluff prepared, written a few months ago, actually, bits and pieces for future chapters. I even had some scenes already drawn, not yet published. As for work... yeah, it gets in the way most of the times, especially when you have a boss that makes you feel like you're worth less than nothing and you couldn't possibly find another job if you quit. If you find such a boss, don't bother applying for a job, or, at least, don't stay too long, because you are worth something much better. Find a job you'd do with love, and the rewards will be sure to come._

_**FlyngDoll4** , and it will get better :D_

_**Sketcher1994** , *nuzzling the soft fluffy jumper, tear in eyes* this is so soft I could die a happy writer..._

_**Silverwolf Bombarda** , don't get violent on poor, innocent souls. I'm the one to blame for cliffhangers, right? _

_**Yamiyugi101** , Thank you!_

_All in all, thank you for all the patience and love and reviews and reading my fics... And everything! By the way, I'd love to see a review/comment in your native language! (Of course, please consider the writer, as well, since I only know 4 languages: Romanian, English, Spanish and Japanese, so add a translation, as well, if you guys happen to not be a speaker of those 4 languages)_

_Thank you for the infinite patience, my Misty~es! Lots of love from yours truly, MistyQue!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Things are finally settling down<strong>

The next few weeks were chaotic for Gajeel, having a hard time getting ready Wendy's file and find for a permanent nursing school near home. He was feeling horrible for leaving the little girl wait for him so long, since he could only pick her up after 8 PM. Weekend was the most awaited moment of the week, when the two would go for long walks in the park or just stay at home and keep each other company.

A week passed quickly, Gajeel being transferred to another department. The first time Wendy saw his beaming face at 4:30 PM, she thought something bad had happened. But after a quick explanation and a tight hug from the girl, they were off home, with more time on their hands.

The moment Gajeel awaited the most came by a few weeks after his transfer by means of a phone call. A wide smile spread on his face as he stood up to suddenly and toppled the chair over. He nearly jumped for joy, but composed himself quickly, continuing his work. The raven haired man took a couple of hours off the next morning so he could get Wendy to kindergarten and talk to her teachers and the director. She was kind enough to give him a list of things Wendy needed for classes. An hour later, he was off to work, feeling very light.

Gajeel was on his way to pick Wendy up a few minutes after 4. As he expected, the little girl beamed at him when she saw his tall frame in the door. The teacher gave Wendy her snack and the two were on their way.

"The principal gave me a list of things you need here, wanna go shopping?" He asked after placing the small girl on his shoulders.

"Yeah!" She grabbed two handfuls of black hair and smiled widely as Gajeel headed for the car.

With the shopping done, the two headed for the park before going home, spending a few hours having fun. Later that evening, after Wendy was fast asleep, he watched her for a long moment, smiling fondly at the little girl. Everything was starting to look promising. _All I need now is a girlfriend._ He thought amused. _Shit…_ His face dropped. He forgot about that aspect. What if he, eventually, brought a woman in the house? What would Wendy say? What would the said woman say about Wendy? Would anyone really accept him with a child? Would they want to share the responsibility of raising a growing toddler?_ Too late to think about that… Well, if and when it happens, I'll handle it somehow…_ With that, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

They quickly fell into the daily routine. Wake up early, eat breakfast, drop Wendy off to kindergarten, go to work, leave at 4, pick Wendy up and go to the park, return home and have dinner, half an hour of cartoons and sleep. Easy enough. And it happened one day.

A couple of months after they started their routine, Gajeel was called for a meeting after hours. He cursed internally, quickly contacted Wendy's teacher and apologized because he would be late that day. He couldn't really concentrate on what his boss was explaining, he merely took short notes, glancing ever so often at the clock. It was way past 7 P.M. when everyone was finally released, Gajeel bolting through the doors and running for the bus stop._ Why the fuck did I decided to leave the car home today?_ He groaned internally as he plopped heavily on an empty seat, catching his breath. Once he got off the bus, Gajeel started running through the darkened streets, huffing heavily. _Shit… Why did he have to hold a meeting after working hours?_ He huffed heavily, glancing at his watch. It was almost 8 P.M. _Late… Gotta hurry… _Just as he screeched to a halt in front of the main door, a bright voice called out to his sister.

"Wendy! Your dad's here!" The kindergarten lady smiled warmly at the child, who merely puffed.

"He's not my dad! He's my brother!" Wendy pulled on her clothes as Gajeel caught his breath in the doorway…

"Sorry… _huff_ I'm late… Meeting… _huff_" He placed his hands on his knees, trying to calm his breathing. _I'm getting soft… I should start training again… _He though between large gulps of air. Just as he finally managed to sit upright, another deep huffing made him glance his left. And that's when his breath stopped altogether. He was staring. He knew it was rude, but his eyes just couldn't look away. And he couldn't breathe, either. He watched the woman next to him lean on the door frame as she caught her breath, sweat lighting her delicate skin. He noticed she wasn't wearing makeup. And she was glowing.

"Romeo! Your mom!" Wendy's bright voice pulled Gajeel back from his reverie, glancing to his younger sister in confusement as she took his hand and waited patiently.

"Sorry… Mommy had a meeting at the office…" She whizzed between breaths as a punk kid approached the delicate woman. "Had a nice day?"

"Not really, cuz you were late!"

"Sorry…" She apologized again and offered her hand to the little kid. "Shall we go home, hon?"

"Don't call me that! I'm not a baby!" The kid flushed deep red as he glanced Wendy's way sheepishly.

"Oh, my, I forgot you're a big boy now, my apologies!" She giggled slightly, not looking Gajeel's way. She only had eyes for her son.

"See ya tomorrow, Wendy!" The kid yelled back, making his mother turn around and glance briefly at Gajeel. He hiccupped in shock, not daring to breathe, as she gave him a ghost of a smile. Then his insides became jelly. And he smiled dumbly back. Wendy looked puzzled between him and the nice lady, not understanding what was going on. At one point, she tugged on his arm, bringing him back to reality.

"Are we going?" She asked impatiently, handing Gajeel her backpack.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go…" He started walking automatically, not even realizing the blue haired woman and her kid were going the same way as Wendy and himself. "Friend of yours?" He finally said after a couple of minutes of walking in silence.

"Romeo? Not really… He's usually pretty mean to the other girls, so I punched him a couple of days ago." Wendy said in a neutral voice, Gajeel snapping his eyes at the little girl.

"You what?"

"He was being a big jerk, and he tried to pull on my hair."

"You're a scary kid, ya know that?" Gajeel chuckled softly.

"Not really… I just can't stand bullies." Wendy looked at her feet.

"You know what bullies are?"

"Yeah, I've met a few. Daddy told me about them after I told him I scratched one of the boys."

"I see… But you do know violence is not good, right?"

"Yes…" She looked away in shame.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Just try other methods before you go to violence, 'kay?" He ruffled her head briefly, then bent down and scooped her up from the ground with ease. "And I can teach you how to better protect yourself, if you wanna learn, that is. Big brother can't always take care of you, and I don't wanna worry too much about you when you're by yourself."

"Okay." She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled widely, making his own lips tug at the corners. He knew the road ahead was going to be difficult, but her smile made it all worth it. "What d'you wanna eat tonight?"

"Can I cook with you?"

"Tell you what, we're doing spaghetti and meat balls tonight and you can help me roll the meat balls. Is that OK?"

"Yeah!" Wendy beamed, hugging him tightly. Her reaction made Gajeel giddy to get home.

Thus another day passed.

**TBC**

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><p><strong><strong><em>How about it? Did you liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please review, your opinion matters to me as a writer.<em>****


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